


If You Love Me Don't Let Go

by JayLin2314



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Pining Keith (Voltron), Post Season 8, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, look at my pictures y'all, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 08:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayLin2314/pseuds/JayLin2314
Summary: “So try to think of something else, then. Don’t just immediately shoot down my ideas.”“You know that’s not what’s happening here. You know what I –““I know what you’re saying,” Lance snapped, “but I need you to not say that, so help me think of something else!”Keith could feel how hard Lance’s arms were shaking with the effort of hanging on.“Lance.” He knew what voice to use – the calming, matter-of-fact one. The one that said everything is going to be fine. The one that said I know what I’m doing, so trust me. “You won’t be able to hold on much longer. You know that, even if you’re too stubborn to admit it.”Post season 8, in which Keith and Lance fall over a cliff, but it still ends happily. Kindof a fix-it fic.





	If You Love Me Don't Let Go

Keith had always liked to be in control because there was nothing more terrifying than having your fate in someone else’s hands.

Even someone you trusted completely.

 

It was the pain that dragged his mind back to consciousness. Pain, and cold, and a strange heaviness pulling on his body – urging him down, down…

As the world around him came into focus and his sluggish mind began to comprehend the situation, dread settled into the pit of his stomach.

His feet swayed lazily over empty air and a thin layer of clouds. Before him, just out of reach, he could see the rough surface of a rocky cliff, and above…

Keith didn’t want to look up. He could feel the pressure squeezing his wrist, the strain on his shoulder and arm, and he knew what those things meant.

He squeezed his eyes shut as his head throbbed painfully.

It was all coming back to him, now.

 

They had landed the ship on the cliff’s edge, and had gone about the mission without a hitch. Upon returning to the ship, however, everything had gone wrong. Keith had been reaching for the ship’s door, about to climb in when he had heard a resounding crack; a heavy rumble that shook the earth – and then the ground had given way beneath his feet. He had tried to leap for solid ground, but the wing of the ship had clipped the side of his head as the vehicle went careening over the edge. Dizzy, disoriented, he had felt the strength leave his body; felt the sensation of falling, tumbling, flying – and then nothing.

 

Slowly, he raised his eyes, tilting his head upwards, hoping to see something other than what he knew was there.

He took it in in increments – tan fingers turning white from the cold, and their vice-like grip around Keith's wrist…an arm trembling with the effort of holding him up…blue jacket flapping as gusts of wind blew through the ravine…

He would have given anything for their positions to be switched because he knew what needed to happen – and it would be the worst thing he ever had to do.

“Lance.”

The boy above him let out a small noise of acknowledgement. “You’re awake? You’re –“ he broke off and shook his head. “Can you do anything from where you are to get a hold of the rocks? This is definitely not as easy as they make it look in the movies.”

Lance’s other arm was stretched above his head, fingers wrapped around a jagged rock that jutted out from the cliff face. Keith knew the pain he must be in; he knew the tremendous effort it took to hold up another person using only the strength of your arms. And he had known from one look that with the way the cliff sloped away from where he dangled, there would be no possible way for him to reach it.

“Do you remember how far down the bottom of the cliff was?” Keith kept his voice steady. He needed to keep it together because if he freaked out, so would Lance, and that would be bad for both of them. “I don’t remember seeing this cloud layer when we landed.”

“That doesn’t matter because we’re not going down.” Lance’s retort was sharper than it needed to be. “I did not catch you in midair, and hang here for the past couple of minutes only to have us fall, okay?”

It was obvious that Lance was not seeing the whole picture, so Keith ignored him. This wasn’t the time to be getting emotional. This wasn’t the time for any false hope. He silently recounted the things Kolivan had taught him during his time with the Blade – _the mission is the priority…do whatever you need to do to complete it…make sacrifices if necessary._

“Lance, do you see that cluster of rocks to your left?” he asked. “Could you reach that if you had both hands?”

Lance glanced up shakily, surveying the cliff above him. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. Hard to say unless I try, right?”

“Right.” Keith hoped he would understand; hoped he would not have to actually say it.

“But I don’t have both hands available, so what’s the plan?”

Keith closed his eyes, drawing in a steadying breath before releasing it on a sigh. “Lance, you know –“

“The only way I’m going to be able to use both hands is if you’re able to grab my foot and hang on while I try to haul both of us back up.”

“Um…I think my shoulder might be dislocated.” He wasn’t entirely sure, but the pain was definitely enough to make him doubt his ability to use the arm. “I won’t be able to keep my grip with just one hand, so –“

“So try to think of something else, then. Don’t just immediately shoot down my ideas.”

“You know that’s not what’s happening here. You know what I –“

“I know what you’re saying,” Lance snapped, “but I need you to not say that, so help me think of something else!”

Keith could feel how hard Lance’s arms were shaking with the effort of hanging on.

“Lance.” He knew what voice to use – the calming, matter-of-fact one. The one that said _everything is going to be fine_. The one that said _I know what I’m doing, so trust me_. “You won’t be able to hold on much longer. You know that, even if you’re too stubborn to admit it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I will hold on until we find a solution for getting us both out of this mess.”

“Your body physically won’t be able to do that.”

“It doesn’t matter!”

“Lance let go of my arm, or I will make you let go!” Couldn’t he see how difficult this already was? Didn’t he know that Keith did not want his last memory of Lance to be one of frustration and anger?

A drop of water hit Keith’s cheek, and he thought of rain. His eyes searched the sky above, but it was blue and cloudless. He looked back toward Lance – and understood.

This was worse than frustration or anger.

Lance’s face was turned toward him, his bottom lip clamped tightly between his teeth; tears streaking down his cheeks and dripping off his chin. Despite everything, his voice was low and steady: “There is nothing you can do that will make me let go.”

Keith had no response to that. He held Lance’s gaze, feeling like he was drowning. Maybe he was actually running out of air. Maybe they were at a high enough altitude that it was messing with his mind and causing his ribs to squeeze his heart.

_Yes_ , he decided, that was the case. That would be preferable, because the other option was that Lance was making that horrible, gut-wrenching face because of him.

_Who are you trying to fool?_ His mind whispered. _It’s always because of you_. _You ignored him, you pretended not to know him, you ran away_ –

Keith shut his eyes, trying to block out the words. There was no time, now, for regrets. There was no time for self-pity…

_– you never told him because you are a coward._

There was no time for anything anymore.

Why was it that the fear of rejection had always been more terrifying than the thought of dying?

They had spent years together. They had fought side by side. They had trusted each other with their lives, so why had it been so hard to just tell the truth?

_Because you are selfish_ , his mind supplied bitterly. _You knew he would never feel the same way, so you clung to him in whatever way you could because you didn’t want to lose him_. _And now –_

Now it was too late.

Now there was no time.

Keith opened his eyes, stubbornly shoving down all the things he wanted to say to Lance. He had wasted years in silence, so that’s how this was going to end. That was the way it had to be, because no matter how Lance felt towards him, a hidden truth and a heartfelt confession was a cruel way to say goodbye.

“You should never have come on this mission with me,” was all he said instead.

Lance’s face twisted into a scowl. “Well, if I hadn’t, you’d be on the bottom of this ravine right now, along with your ship. You should be thanking me for volunteering to join you!”

There had never been another option, except to fall, Keith realized, the morbid humor of it twisting the corners of his mouth in a tiny smile. If he allowed himself to be completely honest, this was the most appropriate way for this to end. He had been falling for years. He was falling even now, as a gust of wind whipped Lance’s hair around his head, causing more tears to drop onto Keith’s face – because despite the pain and the tears, he looked at Keith with eyes fierce and determined. It was the thing Keith had admired about Lance from the beginning – his ability to keep going, to keep hoping, to stay strong in the face of devastating odds.

And that was the difference between them, because the only thing Keith hoped for, now, was that the distance of the fall was so great, he would lose consciousness before hitting the ground.

“Keith, we’re former paladins of Voltron,” Lance was saying. “We saved the universe countless times – there’s no way we’re not getting out of this. And there’s absolutely no way only _one_ of us it getting out alive, okay? You think I could just go back to the Garrison and tell everyone _oh sorry, Keith didn’t make it. We fell over a cliff and he told me to drop him so I just let go to save myself_?”

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend phrasing it like that.” Keith offered him a tiny, soft smile before letting his face slip back into seriousness. He had let himself be distracted for too long, and now it was time. “But none of that matter, because you have to face the facts, here. Like I said before, your body won’t physically be able to hold me up much longer. I can’t climb out on my own with one arm, and no one is coming to rescue us. You have to let go.”

“I won’t do that.”

“It doesn’t matter, Lance, you’re going to have to!”

“Shut up!”

“There’s no other option here, just –“

“Shut up, or I will let go – just not with the hand you want.”

That silenced Keith. He stared up into Lance’s blazing eyes, unable to hide his fear. What little control he had felt over the situation was slipping – crumbling like the cliff that had put them here in the first place. Emotions threatened to take over; words pushed deep below the surface rose in his throat – and he bit them back, refusing to give in.

“Don’t you dare.” It came out like a snarl.

“Why?” Lance’s voice was strained, now; his resolve cracking around the edges. “Why can it be you? Why is it okay if it’s only you?”

Keith wanted to lie. It would have been so easy to come up with some vague and generic response about this being something bigger than his life. But Lance’s eyes were wide and wet and pleading – and Keith was drowning once again. Lance was holding him, even as his arms shook and his strength failed – and Keith’s nerve was stretching thin, ready to snap. There were so many things he wanted to say, and would never get the chance. There was so much he wanted to tell Lance…so he allowed himself one little slip. He allowed one ounce of truth to filter through the cracks.

"Because if it's only me, then you get to live."

Lance made a choking noise, gritting his teeth as more tears rolled down his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut – and that’s when Keith knew. Lance wasn’t going to let go. He would hang there until he had no more strength left, and his body gave out on him. He would hang there until his fingers slipped, and they both plummeted to the ground below.

So Keith accepted what he needed to do, because they was out of time and out of options.

His other arm was stiff, his fingers cold and rigid as he reached up towards where Lance gripped his wrist.

“Hey –“ Lance’s voice was a harsh warning. “What are you doing?”

Keith ignored him. His mind was made up.

“Keith, don’t do this!”

People were always telling him what he could or could not do, but in the end it was not their decision to make.

“Keith, we’re a team. We’ll figure this out together!”

Lance’s words stilled his hand for a moment. He let the words sink in. They were nice words, despite the desperate, frantic tone in which they’d been spoken.

_We’re a team. We’ll figure this out together._

Yes, those were nice last words. He could be happy with them for the next few minutes.

“I will kick you in the fucking face and knock you out if you don’t stop!”

The little bubble of comfort surrounding Keith’s heart burst. Why did Lance have to keep talking? They were past the point of talking – far past the point of no return.

“It’ll be okay.” Keith hoped the smile he gave was reassuring. “You’ll be able to climb back up once you can use both hands. Should be easy enough.”

“Nothing about this is easy! Nothing about this is okay! Please don’t leave me like this.”

Keith’s heart twisted, and for a moment he imagined there was something _more_ behind those words. But it was just a bad and stressful situation. Lance would have reacted the same way if it had been anyone else hanging there because that’s just how he was.

 

There was a tiny jolt as Lance’s grip on the rock above him slipped a fraction of an inch. Lance’s head whipped around, and Keith took advantage of his distraction. Reaching up, he wound his fingers around Lance’s, pulling them apart just enough.

Time seemed to slow down as gravity took hold of him. His hand slid through Lance’s, fingers brushing as Lance tried desperately to regain his grip.

But there was no going back, now.

Keith fell, the cold air roaring in his ears. He knew the ground was rushing up to meet him, but just for a moment, he liked to imagine he was flying and that everything would be all right.

Everything _would_ be all right. Lance would climb back up the cliff and return to the city so he could get a ship back to the Garrison. It’s true, he would have to tell everyone what happened, and they would probably be sad for a while, but they would understand and they would eventually move on.

The clouds enveloped Keith in a blanket of cold and wet. He hoped he would pass out soon. He hoped it would be over quickly and he wouldn’t suffer.

He broke through the clouds, and all he could see was a vast expanse of blue shimmering below him. He barely had a second to process it before he was plunged into water.

He struggled to swim up, seeing the light dancing across the surface of the water just out of reach, but when he tried to move his arm, the sharp shock of pain almost made him cry out and lose what little breath he had. He kicked, trying to use his one good arm as much as possible, but he knew he wasn’t making any progress. His head ached, his body hurt, and he was exhausted.

This was not the ideal way for this to happen. He had wanted it to be quick and painless, and drowning would be slow.

The surface was so far away, now, and his vision was fading at the edges as his lungs burned. He made one last effort to struggle in the water before his vision darkened, mouth opening as he tried to gasp for air that wasn’t there. He was dimly aware of something squeezing around his chest; of water rushing around him…and then he lost consciousness for the second time that day.

 

 

The first sensation this time was an overwhelming need to breathe. There was a great crushing weight on his chest and he struggled against it, coughing violently, pulling the water from his lungs. Several gasping moments later he was finally able to draw air into his lungs, chest heaving with the effort.

“Keith?”

He cracked his eyes open at the sound of his name – and didn’t understand.

Lance leaned over him – face tight with worry, eyes wide, breath coming in shallow pants, water dripping from his hair.

“You’re alive? Okay, you’re breathing and your eyes are open, and you’re – you’re alive. Good.” Unexpectedly, the look of relief on his face contorted into sudden, fervent rage. “Because fuck you!”

Keith blinked, starting to come back to reality. The harshness of Lance’s voice made him realize he might not be dead after all. The cold, hard stones he lay on only helped confirm that.

“I hate you so much right now,” Lance yelled. “This is two times you’ve almost died today. Two fucking time in the last, like, half an hour! And twice I’ve had to save you, by the way – don’t thank me or anything.”

As reality set back in, a realization dawned on Keith, quickly coming to the forefront of his mind until nothing else mattered. Wincing, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, using the one arm that was not still in pain.

“What are you doing here?” he growled, voice hoarse from coughing.

“No seriously, I think you mean _thank you, Lance, for saving my life and pulling me out of the water_.” Lance glared at him, anger still blazing behind his eyes.

“No, I don’t because that means…” It meant that Lance had let go of the rock he had been hanging onto. It meant he had not climbed back up to safety. It meant the sacrifice Keith had made had been for nothing.

“It means that I saved you. Again.”

“It means you let go.” Keith felt his ribs compressing his lungs again – felt his heart crushing under the weight of the truth. “It means I tried to save you and you threw it all away.”

“I had you!” Lance shouted, throwing one arm out wildly, indicating the cliff looming above their heads. “I would have hung on there for as long as it took to figure out a way to get us both up to safety. I would have hung on there for the rest of my goddamn life, Keith, but no – you just had to go and force me to let go and just… fuck! I hate you so much right now. If you weren’t injured I’d punch you right in your stupid, pretty face!”

Before Keith could think too much on the choice of words, Lance shook his head, deflating. “But you are injured. We need to get your jacket off so I can take a look at your arm to see if your shoulder is actually dislocated. I’ll need to check your head, too. You probably have a concussion – although with the way you’ve been acting, I might bump it up to full blown brain damage.”

He sat up on his knees, reaching across Keith’s body, helping him peel off the wet jacket from his good arm before carefully slipping it off the other, trying to be as gentle as possible. Keith watched him silently, more curious, now, than anything else. The care and gentleness in his touch did not reflect the pain and anger still burning on his face. He felt Lance’s fingers brush over his shoulder and bit his lip to keep from making a sound. The sudden stiffness of his body must have given away his discomfort, though, because suddenly Lance’s eyes met his directly, only inches away from his face.

“Well, from what I can see it’s not dislocated,” he said drily. “You probably just tore or pulled a muscle. I know my arms feel the same way.” He reached a hand up. “Now let me check your head. Make sure you’re not bleeding.”

Gentle fingers slid into Keith’s hair and he closed his eyes because Lance had shifted closer. So close, Keith could feel the warmth radiating off his skin. So close he wanted to reach out and –

He drew in a breath sharply as Lance’s fingers grazed over a sensitive spot on his scalp.

Lance gave a soft grunt of acknowledgement. “Yup. You definitely have a bump here, but it’s not bleeding and you seem pretty cognizant, so that’s good.” The fingers left his hair only to slide down to grasp his chin, tilting his head up. “Hey, open your eyes.”

As soon as Keith did, he was drowning again. It happened over and over, every time he made eye contact with Lance for longer than a second. Except this time it was worse. This time Lance was too close, and he looked too concerned; too caring, too –

“Okay, well your pupils reacted to the light, so that’s a good sign.” His voice was too soft, his fingers on Keith’s chin too gentle.

_I would die a thousand times to keep you safe._

Lance stilled, simply staring, and for one brief, terrifying moment Keith thought he had said the words out loud. Then Lance sat back on his heels, his fingers sliding from Keith’s skin. He drew in a shaky breath, a wide, slightly manic grin tugging at his lips.

“Okay, so you’re alive and you’re as fine as you can be under the circumstances,” he said breathlessly. “So I’m going to take a moment to freak out a little now.”

He rose to his feet so quickly it almost made Keith dizzy, and stumbled several steps up the rocky bank. He leaned heavily against the rough wall of the ravine, one hand pressed against his mouth.

Keith got shakily to his feet, breathing deeply until the pounding in his head faded to a dull throb. Stepping carefully over the stones, he approached Lance like one would a wild animal, moving cautiously and deliberately – as if any sudden movement might scare him off. Caution was thrown to the wind, however, when he got close enough to see the rapid breaths racking Lance’s body, and hear the sound of a broken sob muffled in his hand.

Keith’s fingers wound around Lance’s arm, gently pulling him away from the rocky wall. At the touch, Lance snapped upright, half turning – and Keith was hit with the full force of the wild, devastated, _panicked_ expression on his face.

“Keith –“ Lance’s voice came out as a whimper. As awful as it had been to see Lance hanging onto his wrist above the clouds, conviction shining through his tears, this was worse.

Once again, he had done something to cause this boy pain.

 

Keith remembered being escorted off Garrison property when he was younger. He remembered being lead past students and teachers who all whispered and pointed and judged. He remembered setting his face in a scowl – a show for any watching eyes that he didn’t care. He didn’t need them. He didn’t need anyone. He remembered raising his chin in defiance – and then freezing, caught off guard and unable to catch his breath, because the boy with the blue eyes was never supposed to look at him like that. He was never supposed to wear that expression at all. No one was ever supposed to hurt him, and it took Keith a moment to realize that he had. He was the one who had hurt him. He was the one who had made him look like that.

It was only the first memory in a long line of times he had done something to make Lance’s face twist in anger, in pain, in sadness, in jealousy.

 

_Who are you?_

_Uh…the name’s Lance?_

Annoyed.

 

_Stepping down the ramp of the Red Lion, holding his injured shoulder, preparing to tell the team the words that would change everything and make them hate him._

Agitated.

 

_Yeah, who am I gonna make fun of?_

Forlorn.

 

_Wait…where are you going?_

Fearful.

 

_Keith, you ran away. Maybe you should have just stayed away._

Hate.

 

And now…

 

Every time he did things his way, it only made it worse.

So to make it better…

Keith shifted closer. His hand sliding up Lance’s arm and around his shoulders, pressing their bodies together as much as his injured arm would allow. Lance was shaking badly, and he buried his face in the crook of Keith’s neck, his arms wrapping snugly around Keith’s waist – fingers clinging to the damp shirt at his back.

Keith pressed his cheek against Lance’s hair, his hand sliding soothingly up and down Lance’s spine.

“You’re right,” he murmured. “I wouldn’t have survived any of this without you, so take all the time you need to freak out. I won’t say anything. I won’t judge you. You saved my life today, and I owe you so much.”

“You have to stop scaring me.” Lance’s voice was ragged, and muffled in the collar of Keith’s shirt. “I saw you falling over the edge – I saw the wing hit you, and I thought…” he sniffled. “I just dove out into thin air after you, Keith. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know if I could even catch you. I didn’t know what to do, I just… And then you pried my fingers open and you were falling again. You were fucking falling, and I just reacted again because – because I can’t…I can’t lose you.”

Keith’s hand stilled on Lance’s back.

“You…” Lance’s arms squeezed tighter. “You’re always leaving. You’re always one step ahead of me and I can never catch up.”

Keith pulled back slightly, trying to see Lance’s face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lance only drew in a shaky breath, letting it out on a heavy sigh. He unwound his arms from Keith’s waist and leaned back against the ravine wall, looking drained. “It means I’m stupid and slow.” Before Keith could protest, he waved it off, changing the subject. “Did I ever actually tell you how much I look forward to your visits? I like seeing you and hearing all your crazy stories about saving the galaxy and re-establishing the Galra empire with that humanitarian squad of yours.” A smile briefly pulled at the corners of his mouth, but even the effort of that small gesture seemed to be too much. “But do you remember the last time you came back to Earth? The mission had gone wrong, and you had been taken directly to the Garrison’s medical wing?” He shook his head. “You…you had messaged me several days before to say when you would be back, and that you wanted to visit if I was free. When you didn’t show up I thought…I don’t know, I thought you had just forgotten or something. But then Axca showed up at my house. I saw her walking toward me, and I saw the expression on her face, and I don’t remember anything after that. It took both her and Veronica to calm me down, and they told me afterwards I’d had a panic attack. I thought…I had thought she was coming to tell me you had died. That’s why I volunteered to join you for this, even though I haven’t been out in space for so long. Because I just know one day you’re going to leave on some mission, and you’ll never come back.” Tears spilled from his eyes again, and his voice broke. “Keith, this would have been that mission. You would have been knocked unconscious and fallen over the cliff into the water. You would have drowned, here, all alone, and I never would have gotten to –“ He broke off, covering his mouth with one hand, crying too hard to continue.

Keith reached out again, wrapping his hand around the nape of Lance’s neck. He pressed his thumb in, rubbing small circles into the muscle, trying to help calm him down. One of Lance’s hands came up to press against his chest, fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt.

“I’m sorry,” Lance hiccupped, trying to get his tears under control. “I’m sorry I keep doing this. I’m sorry you have to see me like this. You were so fucking calm up there. You were trying to convince me to let you fall to your death like you were talking about the fucking weather or something!”

Keith chuckled. “If our places had been switched I promise you I would not have been calm. I just wanted to make it easier for you. I knew you weren’t going to do it on your own, so I was trying to be logical and explain to you we didn’t have a choice.”

Lance raised his head, eyes shining.

They were so close, and Keith knew he should move away. He knew he should pull his hand back, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I never meant to hurt you,” was all he could say.

“Keith –“ He heard Lance whisper his name, and then the hand that had been pressed against his chest trailed up, fingertips barely brushing the curve of his jaw. “I can’t…I can’t do this anymore.”

Keith’s thumb stopped it’s motion. He took one selfish moment, remaining in this proximity, as his heart fully sank. This was the time he had taken it too far, just like he knew would always happen. He removed his hand, stepping backwards and giving Lance a sharp nod. “I understand. Let’s just do what we can to get out of this ravine. Then we can find a ship so I can take you home.” Despite the painful twisting in his stomach, he was able to keep his voice controlled. No emotion; all business. “If it makes it easier, I won’t come to visit anymore. We can drift apart, so that when I do eventually die on a mission you’ll hear about it in passing from your sister or Shiro.”

Lance’s mouth fell open like he was about to say something, but all he did was gape at Keith before straightening his spine and bringing his hands down to ball into fists at his sides. “That’s what you think I meant? That’s what you think I want?”

Keith shrugged. “I knew this would happen eventually. You can’t keep caring for people who will just let you down. It’s not fair to you, and it only brings you pain.”

Lance was eyeing him with a look Keith had never seen before. It was cold and calculated, and mirrored the tone of his voice. “So…you won’t come visit me anymore?”

“I won’t.”

“You’ll cut all ties with me so we don’t talk anymore. You won’t message me anymore. We’ll stop being friends all together, and eventually when you die I’ll hear about it and think _oh hey, I used to know him. What a shame_.”

Keith held his gaze – firm and unwavering. “If that makes it easier for you.”

“You would do that for me?” Lance took a step forward and Keith stood his ground. For all he had done today, and over the years, if Lance went to punch him, he probably wouldn’t try to dodge. “You would do all that just to make my life easier?” Lance took another step forward. “You would sacrifice your life to save mine? You would let yourself fall to your death as long as it meant I would be able to climb to safety?”

They were standing eye to eye, now. Lance held his gaze, face alight with defiance and challenge. It was the look that made Keith act without thinking. It made him want to prove he could do anything – and the words slipped out before he could bite them back.

“I would you anything for you, you fucking asshole.” It was a growl – low and ferocious, and raw with emotion.

To his surprise, a wide grin cracked Lance’s features. “Good,” was all he said before his hands were sliding around Keith’s shoulders; fingers twining into his hair as he pulled Keith’s face toward his own.

For a moment they stood frozen – lips barely touching, breath mingling – as Lance gave him an opportunity to pull away.

And then they both moved at the same time.

It was just a gentle press of lips, fingers sliding further into Keith’s hair, holding him by the back of the head…but Lance’s lips were soft, and his hands were warm, and that was all it took for everything Keith had shoved down and buried deep inside his heart to come surging through his veins like a dam bursting.

He pressed forward – tilting his head and parting his lips – encouraging.

The small sound that was pulled from his throat as he felt Lance respond was completely involuntary. Lance cupped the back of his neck, slotting their lips together, tongue sliding against Keith’s in a way that left him breathless.

Keith pushed forward again, walking Lance backwards until he could press him against the cliff. The throbbing in his head was forgotten. The pain in his arm was a distant annoyance. If this was a dream, he accepted it. If this was death, he welcomed it.

If this was real…

His hands slid from Lance’s hips, fingers gliding up his stomach and across his chest, and –

 

_This was real._

This had to be real, because Lance’s heart was beating just as hard as his own.

 

Abruptly, everything went still. At Lance’s touch, Keith had been swept away – caught up in a current of frantic need that washed away all rational thought. He had not believed this was real, after spending so many years convincing himself his feelings would always be one-sided. Even with Lance’s hands in his hair, Lance’s lips pressed to his, he still thought it might all just be a fantasy…a nasty trick derived from his concussed and water-logged brain.

He had thought to get as much out of this moment as possible before he awoke to the real world.

But Lance’s wildly beating heart beneath his fingers was real. Lance’s body, pressed against his – warm, and still slightly damp from their plunge into the river – was real. Lance’s lips, now moving gently, tenderly, deliberately against his…that was real, too.

Lance was the one to pull away – only far enough so his breath ghosted across Keith’s skin, arms still wrapped around Keith’s shoulders. “I have not been following in your footsteps since our years at the Garrison to have you walk away from me now,” he whispered, vehement and breathless. “I meant it when I said we’re a team – from the very beginning, I meant it. You mean so much to me it scares me and makes me do stupid, reckless things – and you might not feel the same way, but if the way you kissed me says anything –“

“Lance, didn’t I just prove I would literally die for you?”

Lance shook his head, his forehead bumping against Keith’s. “Yeah, no. We’re not going to be doing that again.” His thumb absentmindedly traced over the scar on Keith’s cheek. “I told you, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t just…wait around, hoping you’re going to visit every couple months – scared to fucking death you won’t.”

Keith started to protest but Lance silenced him with a quick press of his lips. “No, Keith, I just…” When he looked up, his eyes were earnest; his face open and vulnerable. “I just miss you. I was lost for so long…I was so insecure and lonely, and you found me. You included me. You trusted me. You didn’t force me to get over everything before I was ready.” His fingers slid down Keith’s neck, palm resting against his chest over his heart. “But I’ve been ready for a while, and I just…I just want to be with you – in whatever way you’ll have me. You want to be rivals? I can do that. You want to be friends? I’ll be the best goddamn friend you’ve ever had. You want a partner to help you on missions? I’ll join the fucking Blades if I have to.” He reached up and tapped his cheekbone. “I mean, when Allura kissed me, this happened, so maybe if we make out a little more I’ll turn Galra, too.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

Lance smirked at him. “Yeah, but we could still try.”

“I…might not be opposed to that idea.”

Hope bloomed on Lance’s face. “So…this is something you…I mean, would you be…” He trailed off, not finding the right words to express what he was trying to ask.

Keith took a moment to simply look at Lance – to lock eyes and wait to feel the sensation of drowning. But it didn’t come. For the first time in his life, Keith felt like he was breathing freely.

Because as long as Lance was the ocean, he was safe.

“There are so many things I have wanted to say to you.” His mouth twitched as he tried to fight off a smirk. This whole situation was beyond ridiculous, because he had woken up that morning with the intent to go on a boring, routine solo mission, and now – “But I think the only thing that really sums everything up in this moment is to tell you that I –“ he raised his eyes upwards, pointing to the sky with one finger. “I just…fell for you, Lance.”

And Lance gaped – eyes wide, mouth hanging open. It was such a comical expression – a result of an absurd thing to say under the circumstances – that it drew a laugh from Keith. A laugh that started small, bubbling up from his chest, growing into a wave of hysterics he was unable to control.

Then Lance was laughing, too – one hand gripping Keith’s shoulder, the other wrapped around his stomach as he doubled over. Keith wiped at the tears leaking from his eyes, his laughter eventually fading into a soft chuckle.

“I can’t believe you said that!” Lance gasped, shaking his head. “First of all, that's my line. Secondly…too soon, my man. Way too soon.”

Keith reached up, trailing fingers lightly over Lance’s cheek, still stretched in a wide grin. “What do you mean _soon_ ,” he asked gently. “It happened years ago.”

At that, Lance stilled, leaning into his touch – eyes fluttering closed as he inhaled deeply. He let his breath out in a soft sigh, opening his eyes. “So…you want to do this?” His eyes held that spark of a challenge. “You want to figure this out together and see where it goes?”

“Together,” Keith said, “sounds perfect.”

After all, he could never say no to that face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Can't figure out how to do links in Note section, so:**

 

If you liked this, I have a fully complete Voltron comic you can read here: [Fan Comic](https://tapas.io/episode/1299614)

 

[My Tumblr](http://erithel.tumblr.com/) (Mainly Voltron Stuff and Fanart)  
[My Twitter](https://twitter.com/ErithEl) (Mainly Webcomic Stuff) 

[My Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/erithel/?hl=en) (Mainly Webcomic/CharacterDesign/Personal Stuff)

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently when I get bored, I write fanfiction. This is the first prose I've written in a while, so hopefully it turned out okay.
> 
> I have a bunch of half-written stories, so this might be the first of many, or the only one I post. Guess we'll see!
> 
> Title taken from the song "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors.


End file.
